BEAVERTON, Ore.— Linebacker Michael Hutchings, the fifth-ranked overall recruit in the Sporting News Top 125, is testing his athletic ability in a combine-like competition at The Opening, a three-day showcase on the Nike campus in Beaverton, Ore.

He’ll work in pass coverage against some of the best receivers, tight ends and running backs in the country, and he’ll get to kick back and play with some of Nike’s latest toys as well.

But arguably the biggest reason Hutchings is here is to recruit future teammates for the Trojans. He committed to USC on July 1, and he’s already acting like a loyal alum. USC has eight of its 11 current commitments at the invite-only prestigious affair—Michigan is next with seven.

Recruiting has become especially important for USC since NCAA-mandated scholarship reductions were handed down after past transgressions.

“We’re already pretty close, and that’s what the coaches are pretty surprised at,” Hutchings told Sporting News on Friday, in between sessions on the first day. “We’re getting quality guys, we’re just going to have a small number. There’s no room for error. You have to make sure they want to be all SC.

“I’m working on Eddie Vanderdoes and Jalen Ramsey. Those are the next two that hopefully we get, sometime soon. I’m working on it. We have a lot of catching up to do with Eddie, so that’s going to be tough.”

Vanderdoes is the No. 7 overall recruit in the Sporting News Top 125 and Ramsey is a prized cornerback out of Tennessee whom dozens of schools are after. Both have USC up high on their list.

Of the eight USC recruits who are at the camp, six are in the Top 125. Hutchings joined the SN125’s No. 1 overall recruit Max Browne, No. 6 Ty Isaac, No. 66 Chris Hawkins, No. 68 Eldridge Massington and No. 87 Justin Davis. Wide receiver Steven Mitchell and Sebastian LaRue are also at the three-day affair.

The USC coaching staff is well aware of where 73 percent of its class is, too. It has had to choose recruits wisely—to the tune of about 10 fewer than a usual recruiting season, thanks to the scholarship reductions.

Head coach Lane Kiffin and his staff have talked to their recruits about The Opening and even handed out advice.

“They said to be a great spokesperson for USC and recruit as many players as we can—and don’t get hurt,” Mitchell told Sporting News. “I know it doesn’t really matter, but I think we have the highest ratings as USC recruits. We all got invited to these camps; it wasn’t like we just chose to come to the same place.

"When we were in Atlanta (for the Rivals showcase), a bunch of us were there too and we really bonded together. We all competed and it went really well. We all know each other really well.”

One position the Trojans are done recruiting is running back. With Isaac and Davis already on board, it’s pretty much a done deal. In fact, it is clearly enough talent for two Top 25 type Division I programs.

“We both knew it was going to happen this way for a long time,” Davis told Sporting News. “We’re both totally cool with it and we think it is going to turn into something really great, whether it’s a 1-2 punch or us working off of each other making each other better every day. There are nothing but positives in that situation, every day.”

Along with praising his future teammate at the same position, Davis also mentioned he’s busy recruiting, too—namely WR Laquon Treadwell.

One thing the USC recruits definitely wanted to make sure of is that the power of Nike and the power of being in the University of Oregon’s backyard didn’t help sway undecided recruits from their region.

“Everybody knows who we are, even up here; they know the SC class is great,” Hutchings said. “Everybody has been asking me, ‘Why does everybody want to go SC now?’ They say that coach (Ed) Orgeron must be doing his job. Everybody here knows about us and they know we have one of the best classes in the nation.”